Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-30
FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.
A RAILROAD CAR AND THE WCIS-
STUDIES OF IT'S EXISTENCE.
A Correspondent Tell. How He Found
An Old Acquaintance in Florida In the
Bridge Car.

bridge entIauc. the solitary policeman stood
shiyering IN protecting angle OF the wall
Past the sleepy ticket seller, past the collector,
| hurried 10 catch the last cable car for
BROOKLYN, which leaves al | O'Clock, On ths
platform stood tho night policeman and the
waiting passengers shivering with the cold.
l could see the platform Of the city hall II
station, even at this hour crowded with wait
ng paSsengers: beyond it WAS the City Hall
park with half dozen belated citizens hurry
ing across the open space swept by the bleak
winter wind Beyond that again was Broad
way. silent and deserted save for the lonely
policeman and the clumsy mail wagons hur-
rying I" and from the postotfice.
The train from Brooklyn rolled into the
station on the other track, and its
crowd Of passengers hurried from the
cars ami down the stairs The little en-
gine puff-l up 20 the train and switched
1t noi,ily to the Brooklyn track. The crowd
pushed forward TO secure seats, and the
policemen shouted All aboard" TO those hur-
rying up the stairs. There were but few
seats unoccuped when the starter sounded
the gong The whirring and grinding un-
dernesth the car told US that the grip had
caught tine cable and we began 10 move. The
I've ldSl io>SShsei
INTO the car, slammed the gate, gave the grip
wheel last turn. and We had started over
the bridge
What queer lot | had for fellow passen-
gers on my short journey! Here sat young
couple evidently not vet married, and just as
evidently hoping TO be some day There an
older pair who had passed dozen years Of
their lives together. Next myself sat three
typos. men VINO had been setting up the news
of this little planet Of ours for the readers Of
the morning An odd job is this, to-day
making the types chronicle the marriage, and
tomorrow setting the same bits Of lead into
the death notices Of the world. That man
with the staring eyes is the petty cashier Of
AL always open ~beanery' He has an odd
point of view from which t. survey life,
sizing mankind up by the lunches it eats
What motley assemblsge is brought to-
gether in the bridge cars. What All odd as
sortment OF humanity gathered from all
quarters Of the great city and hurrying now
toward their homes in Brooklyn What
stories the cars could tell Of their queer con
Signmsnts Of passengers. The rich man
going To his luxurious home from the theatre
the banquet, the bali; the poor b,borer re-
turning To his two rooms IN u crowded t@ne-
ment the young man just starting his lifes
work. with his hopes and ambitious, his
possibilities, as be thinks, his certaiuties OF
wealth. honor and position. The young women
Just as confident OF their own futures III the
care Of the Young men by their sides
The feeble, gray haired old man, whose life Is
all behind him, whose hopes and dreaIns are
all gone -blasted-broken one after the other.
The party OF Young bloods going home from
"A nights racket in New York; the sisters of
charity on their errands of mercy; the
stranger doing the town and seeing the
sights "AIl these and more. too, take over
the bridge" says the car. Day after day
swing back and forth, like the giant pendu
lum Of giant clock, bearing the dwarf like
bodies Of hiliputian race. The fare, the ac-
commodations are the same for all First
come, first served, | cry TO all There aren't
half enough seats u 90 round, l stop for no
one, 60 faster for no one. All day, ali
night, ever swinging back and forth between
the two cities, carrying my precious freight
of human lives over the waters of the river.
over the busy wharves, looking out over the
bay. through the 'Narrows 10 the ocean,
watching up the river toward He'll Gate and
the Sound, over the elevated, past the tall
buildings and at last into the station again,
always the same endless journey, never the
same passenger. Oh, yes, | se- and hear
and think strange things" says the car
glanced at the newspaper my neigLbor
was reading and this is the narasrapb / saw.
.Ths ,uaIye ,bo,. cars which have ha,,p il,
,,.. ON the briips have be.p sold bacsus., ,b.v
w.-. no longer s,itable for the pe.,is Of the
,an;dlv increasing traffic They have been
hougbt nv some Florida railroad To-day
,bay p,sla their las, trim over the hr;dga
Wondering what the fn,ure life Of the cara
would h. I srenp.d ON, on 70 the nI.tfo,,n
Iold, Iv,s s,iffa,s.i and t.,pumhai the ,;rv,
,n;n,,. .,,ar I cloS..i the dnor II was in
,.,,sa,r ooIJ. ,b. ;.v ,,ipd ho,I;,, ,hro,-,,,
IN. u,;rs able s.an.d N n;.,rt. on. 10 H.,
,,.., b.ar,. tho moon tho starS III. a,.c,r;(,
,;r,;,s ..n,.,, ., ,,,l ,b, al, -, ~. ,t.;,.
,c,, e,;,,er E.cb voya of thu rive, ,,as
ho,d,ng . class 10 the fpI moo, ovsrhs.5
,n.t;ro ;ts s,,,tsc. oIister liz. bsmnsr.., s;,
y.- o. dovn 6v the RrookIvp sbors
,;c-t, go. sIoo,, uss ,.ting a1y.,,aa .,
,h.. I'D 20 sI;, awav Far m the 80 Ill
81 H., -, ,ic,b,, ~ ,ha Wu;.,,s
rs,r,, s,,ns AZ. h.d n.ss.,d ,h.. c.n,.r =, ,,,e
h,.;Ja., .,d were on tho asS,,apt ,ou.r5
Rr,,elr,., ubs, suddenly from sv,.v -,
~, IT, ,,b.,, si5. a, ,b:. riy.r clo,., b. ,..
Ro,savsl, s,rsa, fsrrv emma a sbr;ak q ro
sbsrn cry of terror followed NV
,,I.sh IN 81. u.,ar Ro,h ,b. ,,,,.,a -,
,s.rsd ovsr w.,cb;n, and Tstsn;,,g
T,h., CANA sbriI whist. .,5 ,h. ,or,.
,,,l;o, bo., sho.o,;n, .cross ~. a,,,,.,, .
~. ill., 5;s,n,,s.rad i, ,b,. d,rL shaaa,,, b..
,b. -, ,,rh,, ,n5 ro., a, -, :.
darkness, ana the brooklyn tower had shut
OUT everything from our slght strange
thillgs We see ana near up here some nights.
said the guard 1 hodded, ana both OF Us
were silent, wondering what WAS The tale OF
the clty crime OF woe whoss sequel we hSd
lust heard but now We were the solid